68:43 Al-Qalam (The Pen)

لا يستطيعون الانحناء، وهذا الجزاء ما جنس عملهم، فإنهم كانوا يدعون في الدنيا إلى السجود لله وتوحيده وعبادته وهم سالمون، لا علة فيهم، فيستكبرون عن ذلك ويأبون، فلا تسأل يومئذ عن حالهم وسوء مآلهم، فإن الله قد سخط عليهم، وحقت عليهم كلمة العذاب، وتقطعت أسبابهم، ولم تنفعهم الندامة ولا الاعتذار يوم القيامة، ففي هذا ما يزعج القلوب عن المقام على المعاصي، و[يوجب] التدارك مدة الإمكان.

أي ذليلة متواضعة; ونصبها على الحال.

The Terror of the Day of Judgement

After Allah mentions that those who have Taqwa, will have Gardens of Delight with their Lord, He explains when this will be, and its actual occurrence. He says,

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَن سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

(The Day when the Shin shall be laid bare and they shall be called to prostrate themselves, but they shall not be able to do so.) meaning, the Day of Judgement and the horrors, earthquakes, trials, tests and great matters that will occur during it. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said that he heard the Prophet saying,

«يَكْشِفُ رَبُّنَا عَنْ سَاقِهِ، فَيَسْجُدُ لَهُ كُلُّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَمُؤْمِنَةٍ، وَيَبْقَى مَنْ كَانَ يَسْجُدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا رِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً، فَيَذْهَبُ لِيَسْجُدَ، فَيَعُودُ ظَهْرُهُ طَبَقًا وَاحِدًا»

(Our Lord will reveal His Shin, and every believing male and female will prostrate to Him. The only people who will remain standing are those who prostrated in the worldly life only to be seen and heard (showing off). This type of person will try to prostrate at that time, but his back will made to be one stiff plate (the bone will not bend or flex).)" This Hadith was recorded in the Two Sahihs and other books from different routes of transmission with various wordings. It is a long Hadith that is very popular. Concerning Allah's statement,

خَـشِعَةً أَبْصَـرُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ

(Their eyes will be cast down and ignominy will cover them;) means, in the final abode, due to their crimes and arrogance in the worldly life. Thus they will be punished with the opposite of what they did. When they were called to prostrate in the worldly life, they refused to do so even though they were healthy and secure. Therefore, they will be punished with the lack of ability to do so in the Hereafter. When the Almighty Lord makes Himself visible (before the believers), then the believers will fall down in prostration to Him, but no one of the disbelievers and hypocrites will be able to prostrate. rather, their backs will become one plate. Everytime one of them attempts to prostrate, he will bow his neck but will not be able to prostrate. This is just like in the life of this world, when these people were in opposition to what the believers were doing.

For Whoever denies the Qur'an

Then Allah says,

فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ

(Then leave Me alone with such as belie this narration.) meaning, the Qur'an. This is a sever threat which means, `leave Me alone with this person; I know about him and how I will gradually punish him and increase him in his falsehood. I am giving him respite for a while, then I will seize him with a mighty and powerful punishment.' Thus, Allah says,

سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(We shall punish them gradually from directions they perceive not.) meaning, and they will not even be aware of it. Rather, they will believe that it is a noble blessing from Allah, but really the same matter is actually a form of humiliation (for them). This is similar to Allah's statement,

أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِن مَّالٍ وَبَنِينَ - نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِى الْخَيْرَتِ بَل لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ

(Do they think that in wealth and children with which We expand them, We hasten unto them with good things. Nay, but they perceive not.) (23:55,56) Allah also said,

فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَآ أُوتُواْ أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُّبْلِسُونَ

(So, when they forgot that which they had been reminded, We opened for them the gates of everything, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We punished them, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows.) Therefore, Allah says here,

وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

(And I will grant them a respite. Verily, My plan is strong.) meaning, `I will delay them, give them respite and extend their time. Yet, this is My plan, and My plot against them.' Thus, Allah says,

إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ

(Verily, My plan is strong.) meaning, `great against whoever opposes My command, rejects My Messengers and dares to disobey Me.' In the Two Sahihs it is recorded from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالى لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتْى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْه»

(Verily Allah the Exalted gives respite to the wrongdoer until He seizes him and he will not be able to escape Him.) Then he recited,

وَكَذلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ

(Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His punishment is painful (and) severe.) (11:102) In reference to Allah's statement,

أَمْ تَسْـَلُهُمْ أَجْراً فَهُم مِّن مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُونَ - أَمْ عِندَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

(Or is it that you ask them for a wage, so that they are heavily burdened with debt Or that the Unseen is in their hands, so that they can write it down) the explanation of these two Ayat prece- ded in Surat At-Tur. The meaning of it is, `you, O Muhammad, call them to Allah without taking any wages from them. rather, you hope for the reward with Allah. Yet, they reject that which you have brought to them simply due to ignorance, disbelief and obstinacy.'

فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلاَ تَكُن كَصَـحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَى وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

With humbled khāshi‘atan is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the person of the verb yud‘awna ‘they are summoned’ that is to say with abject gazes which they do not raise they will be overcast enveloped by abasement; for they had indeed been summoned in this world to prostrate themselves while they were yet sound but they never used to do it by the fact that they never performed prayer.

This verse: أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِ‌مِينَ (Otherwise, shall We make the obedient like the sinners?... 68:35). Clarifies that it is rationally necessary that there should come a time when people will have to give account of their deeds, a place where the guilty ones will find no escape routes, an ideal world where there will be absolute justice and fair play, where good and evil will be clearly distinguished. If this is not the state of affairs in the Hereafter, then no evil should be evil, and no sin should be sin in this mortal world. Divine justice would thus be rendered meaningless.

Since it is established that Resurrection is a reality and inevitable, the reward of good deeds is a reality and the punishment of evil deeds is a reality, the verses that follow describe the horrors of the Day of Judgment and the punishment of the evil ones, including the description of the exposure of the Shin [ kashf-us-saq ] in Verse 42 (the explanation of which may be seen in the foot-note given in the translation of that verse.)